The Prow 10 Most Recent Added Stories

Lake Grassmere

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:52:36 +1200

When Kupe circumnavigated New Zealand, c. 900 AD, Maori tradition is that he was obstructed by the inhabitants in the vicinity of, what is now, Lake Grassmere. In revenge Kupe turned the sea onto their plantations thus making Lake Grassmere.¹The Maori name for the lake is Kapara-te-hau.

Lake Grassmere. Photo courtesy Dominion Saltworks
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In the era of Te Rauparaha there was a massacre in this area. The great chief had come from the North to take ducks to preserve in fat for winter food, but Ngai Tahu heard of this plan and waited in ambush. The ambush resulted in three hundred deaths and only thirty escaping, including Te Rauparaha who had to swim out to a canoe. Tradition tells us that the canoe was already fully laden, but a woman was pushed overboard to make room for the great chief! ²

Plan of land taken for Aviation purposes. Marlborough Museum.
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In the era when there were several whaling stations along Marlborough's East coast, the area was known as Cobbler`s Hole.³

Until World War II the Lake remained in a more or less natural state, i.e. dry and dusty during the summer months and covered in water during the winter. In the spring a number of birds would nest in the lake area. These included swans.

Around 1940 railway-men working in the Kaparu area just north of the lake found fragments of egg-shell believed to be from moa eggs. My father had a collection of about fifty such fragments that he had collected.

In 1938 the Government of the day had a survey plan drawn up for approximately three-quarters of the lake area, being the area east of the railway line, and the next year this was officially designated as Land for Aviation Purposes. Subsequently an airfield and a bombing range were established in the area. These were used for training pilots based at Woodbourne during WWII. Incidentally, in later years Peter Skellerup, a Director of Dominion Salt, used the same airfield when making quick business trips from Christchurch.⁴

Lake Grassmere Saltworks, 1960's. Marlborough Museum
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During the early years of WW II George Skellerup , a Christchurch businessman, was trying to re-cycle old tyres, as rubber was a rare commodity at that time, and he required salt to do this. Importing salt in large quantities was unlikely to be approved by the war-time government, so he looked around for a way to make salt locally, and thus the salt works at Lake Grassmere was born. Requirements for making salt were: a large area of flat land, near the sea, which would retain water; low rainfall; high evaporation (wind and sunshine); and proximity to transport (road, rail etc.) He found these requirements at Lake Grassmere; and on 23rd. December 1942 he was granted a "Licence to Manufacture Salt". Actual construction of the necessary ponds etc. started in 1943.⁵

Farming and salt manufacture haven`t always got along well though! In some of Marlborough's droughts the local farmers have considered the possibility of artificially inducing the clouds overhead to drop rain on their land, but Dominion Salt has made it clear that it may pursue legal action to stop such an undertaking. On the one hand a long period of drought promises a `bumper` salt harvest, while the same season causes farmers loss of production (and income).⁶

²⁰¹⁰

Tamati Pirimona Marino

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:17:42 +1200

Through his parents, Ringahuri of Ngati Tama/Te Atiawa and Roka of Ngati Rarua, Marino (also known as Te Pua Ringahuri) was related to all three manawhenua iwi of Mohua after the Tainui Taranaki conquest (1828-1830). His pa was at Aorere, where he had considerable land interests. He was baptised Tamati Pirimona (Thomas Freeman, after a Nelson boatbuilder) and married the same day (14 May 1843) to Erena Te Kehu by Ironside, Wesleyan missionary based at Port Underwood.¹

Gottfired Lindauer: Tamati Pirimona Marino [oil on canvas] Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. gift of Mr H E Partridge, 1915 (1915/2/37) http://www.lindaueronline.co.nz/maori-portraits/-tamati-pirimona-marino.
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Marino's generosity and hospitality to surveyors and officials were frequently remarked on, and when Brunner and Heaphy returned from their 1846 West Coast expedition they found Marino and Hemi Kuku (of Te Rae) "... as assiduous in affording them provisions, even to tea and sugar, as Europeans ... could have been, and finally brought them to Nelson in a canoe as soon as the weather would permit".²

Tuckett, who thought very highly of him - "... in integrity of character Ireno is really singular and conspicuous"³ - was impressed by Marino's insistence that flour and sugar intended as gifts for him should be shared with Europeans at Motupipi who had only Maori food.

Marino's 34-foot schooner, the Erena, named for his wife, was registered at Nelson in December 1845 under T. Freeman and S. Strong; Strong, Nelson merchant, was listed as security for money and goods he advanced Marino to complete the vessel. In 1847, dissatisfied with the arrangement, Marino sued Strong in "the first case of a civil nature between an European and a native"; the Court found for Marino, awarding him £27. Marino often captained the vessel himself, shipping coal from Massacre Bay, pigs and potatoes from Queen Charlotte Sound, and passengers to the North Island. The Erena was wrecked in 1850 on its way to Kawhia "... owing to a singular mistake of her mate",⁴ a drunken Pakeha.

[Coates, Isaac], 1808-1878 :Erino, Massacre Bay. [1843?] Alexander Turnbull Library A-114-052. Permission must be obtained from ATL for further use of this image.
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The 1857 Collingwood goldrush severely challenged Marino as chief of the district; he welcomed and fed hundreds of Maori miners, but his people eventually found that "feastings and koreroing with every fresh arrival was not a paying occupation".⁵

In May 1860 Marino accompanied James Mackay Jr to the West Coast to extinguish Poutini Ngai Tahu's interests there; Marino witnessed the Arahura Purchase Deed as a rangatira who had already sold his interests in the lands, and to ensure Reserves were allocated for his whanaunga .¹¹

When the gold focus shifted to Buller in 1861-62, Marino's status was extremely valuable. He dissuaded Waikato Maori from exacting utu after a female relative was murdered, adjusted disputes, and was acknowledged by both races as chief. He and fellow chiefs hosted an excellent dinner of "sucking pig, fowl, beef, plum pudding, fruit pies etc." for all diggers to celebrate Christmas 1862; Marino proposed a toast to the Queen.⁷

Grave of Tamati Pirimona Marino at Collingwood. Mitchell Vol II p209
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Marino and Erena lost at least one child;⁸ Erena's fate is unknown, but in the 1860s Marino's wife was Riria Wikiato, a relative. He died in 1877 without issue, and relatives from all three of his iwi inherited his interests at Aorere and Westport; he is buried in the old cemetery (Excellent Street) at Collingwood.

Tamati Pirimona Marino successfully combined his responsibilities as rangatira with the qualities necessary to succeed in the new society formed by colonisation. He was widely admired by Maori and European alike.

The Parihaka Prophets in Nelson

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:42:38 +1200

In the 1860s and 1870s Taranaki Maori were troubled by Government determination to enforce European settlement of traditional lands. Promised reserves did not eventuate, and by 1866 dispossessed Maori formed a permanent settlement at Parihaka under Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kakahi. Parihaka had been confiscated after the Waitara conflict (1860-1861) but not yet prepared for European settlement. The well-ordered, pacificist community attracted Maori from other districts, including Te Tau Ihu. The raukura became their symbol.

Artist unknown :Te Whiti. Nelson, 1883 Alexander Turnbull Library. PUBL-0113-0 1 . Permission must be obtained from ATL for further use of this image.
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Settlers and officials feared Te Whiti's leadership, Tohu's spiritual influence, their burgeoning following, and the Parihaka community's independence, despite the village's pacificist philosophy. As surveyors and roadmakers encroached on Parihaka cultivations, Te Whiti ordered men to remove survey pegs and plough or fence the land, but offer no violence. Hundreds of ploughmen and fencers were shipped to Wellington, Lyttelton, Hokitika and Dunedin gaols and imprisoned without trial.

On 5 November 1881 Bryce, Native Minister, led 1,600 armed constabulary and volunteers (including 200 from Nelson and a contingent from Blenheim) into Parihaka and arrested Te Whiti and Tohu. Absolutely no resistance was offered. The troops then systematically destroyed Parihaka, home to about 2,000 people.

Te Whiti and Tohu were held, also without trial, at the Governor's pleasure, under "honourable restraint", to be shown "the power and accomplishment of the Pakeha". After time in Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill and Bluff they lived under house arrest in Nelson from July 1882.¹

Ward, John P :Tohu. Nelson, 1883 Alexander Turnbull Library PUBL-0113-02 Frontal head and shoulders portrait of Tohu. Permission must be obtained from ATL for further use of this image.
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Wakapuaka Maori, who were related to the prophets through Wikitoria Te Amohau, widow of their recently-deceased chief Wi Katene, and Te Atiawa at Motueka and Takaka all welcomed the leaders to Nelson, providing potatoes, kumera and fish for their household,² and visiting frequently. Their gaoler, J. P. Ward, suspected conspiracy: "There is some way in which their people at the Pah communicate with them without my knowledge. I am always present when they visit them ...".³

In late September Ward refused to allow the chiefs to visit Wikitoria at Wakapuaka, and sent Police to retrieve them when they set out walking.⁴ It was not until February 1883 that they were permitted another brief visit.

Nelson Europeans were cautious, with several landlords refusing accommodation.⁵ A few Pakeha visited, as did Members of Parliament, and neighbours who called in to play draughts were "invariably beaten, for both Te Whiti and Tohu are splendid draught players".⁶ The chiefs happily shared their rented house with a family made homeless by fire, giving up their beds and "bringing tea and bread and butter ... to the youngsters". Otherwise reading Scriptures and solving the "American gem puzzle" occupied them.⁷ The prophets sent telegrams from the new Cable Station,⁸ were fascinated by the Guy Fawkes story,⁹ enjoyed the Nelson Regatta, and appreciated medical treatment in Nelson.¹⁰

In March 1883 a telegram advised Ward of the prophets' return to Parihaka for release. They left on the Stella with "a gift in loving forgiveness from the Government ... quite an express load of belongings ... as a start for housekeeping at Parihaka",¹¹ fulfilling Te Whiti's prediction that he would return to Parihaka on a star.¹²

The prophets and their people rebuilt Parihaka, upgrading to piped water and electrical installations. In 1885 "they sent to Nelson a few Natives especially to gather mussels ... and one Nelson Native sent twenty-five cases of apples and five cases of jam as a present and contribution"¹³

The Parihaka story, one of New Zealand's darkest hours, has inspired powerful art and literature. People from throughout New Zealand meet regularly at Parihaka to honour the prophets and their ideals of passive resistance.

2010

Maori and Christianity

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:51:31 +1200

Maori had a complex system of faith and worship, not unlike Greek, Roman and Jewish traditions. Io, the Creator, was ‘... a primary core, heart, essence, who existed in space. He had no parents and was self-created'.¹ The sons of Rangi and Papa, Tane, god of forest, trees and birds, Tangaroa (seas and fish), Tumutaueka (war), Rongo (peace and agriculture), and many other gods were acknowledged and invoked when activities fell within their spheres. There were also tribal, district and whanau gods, and some deities appeared in natural phenomena like rainbows (Kahakura) or as incarnations (green lizards, frogs, owls, sharks). Concepts of wairua (the spirit), mauri (life-force of people, places and objects), hau (the breath, the vital element of human beings), and faith in an after-life underpinned these beliefs. Tohunga, often high-born, carefully selected and highly-educated, acted as mediums of the gods, interpreting signs, addressing the gods on the people’s behalf, and leading incantations, rituals, offerings and sacrifices; they were consulted on military strategies, horticulture, fishing expeditions, and health. Tuahu, simple natural or constructed shrines, were used for ceremonies.

Coates, I: "A Youth of the Motuwaka [Motueka] tribe studying with the Rev C Reay for the Ministry (1842)". Alexander Turnbull Library. A-286-009.
Permission must be obtained from ATL for further use of this image.
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Anglican lay missionaries arrived in Northland in 1814, followed by Wesleyans in 1822, and Catholics in 1838. Maori were fascinated by the all-powerful God, and the Bible, full of wonderful stories, was key to the desirable new arts of reading and writing. Northern Maori quickly evangelised their southern relatives and friends. The Wesleyans, Bumby and Hobbs, visited Marlborough in June 1839 and discovered ‘... true light has shone teaching the people to observe the Sabbath and worship God which they do ... to the best of their ability twice a day'.

Rev. J. H. Bumby, 1840 In Ward, L. (1928) Early Wellington. Whitcombe & Tombs. Retrieved from NZETC
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Three hundred ‘chiefs, warriors, slaves, women and children' assembled to hear the missionaries at Tory Channel; some could read, and all were desperate for scriptures.²Dieffenbach confirmed in August 1839 that Maori at Anaho (near Ship Cove) ‘... had lately become converted to Christianity by a native, who had been with the missionaries in the Bay of Islands', and that ‘Bukka Bukka' (the Bible in Maori, or white paper) were very desirable trade goods.

Octavius Hadfield, Church Missionary Society, who visited Marlborough and Nelson from Waikanae from 1839, teaching and baptising, reported a congregation of 900 at Okukari (outer Tory Channel) in July 1841. Samuel Ironside, Wesleyan, established himself at Ngakuta, Port Underwood, in December 1840. In two years he baptised 612 Maori adults, 155 infants, and married 171 couples; sixteen chapels were built and schools operated throughout Te Tau Ihu. Many Anglican and Wesleyan Maori became catechists. Ironside's Marlborough congregation collapsed from 1,500 to 6 when Ngati Toa and Te Atiawa returned to the North Island after the Wairau Affray in June 1843. In Nelson ministers served both European and Maori flocks. Despite their initial commitment Maori drifted from Christianity because of missionaries' roles in injurious land deals, church negligence caused by settler capture of clergy, and sectarian jealousies. Many years later Ironside reflected: ‘If the troubles and difficulties arising out of the colonising of the country could have been kept away, there would have been a noble, glorious Christian Church of Maoris, hardly inferior to any church on earth'.³ In the late 19^th century many Te Tau Ihu Maori were re-evangelised by Mormon missionaries, or joined syncretic religions which fused Biblical ideas and traditional beliefs. A Ngati Koata/Ngati Kuia man from Pelorus, Haimona Patete, founded the Seven Rules of Jehovah church, which flourished in Marlborough and Wairarapa for about 25 years from the 1890s.

2010

Maitai Valley, Nelson

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:50:39 +1200

The Maitai Valley to the east of Nelson city is a popular recreational area, with numerous picnic and swimming spots. These include Black Hole, Dennes Hole, Sunday Hole, Sharlands Hole, the Maitai Reserve and Smith's Ford. Nine kilometres up the river is the Maitai Dam, Nelson's main water supply.

Maitai River swimming hole. Nelson City Council
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The Maitai is a great playground for Nelson, as well as being the main source of Nelson's fresh water. And if you think it all ends at the golf course - think again. The council-owned land extends over 10,000 hectares up the Maitai Valley, and beyond to the Brook and Roding reserves in adjacent valleys to the south and west.

Maitai Dam. Nelson City Council.
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Minerals

The Dun Mountain, at the heart of the Nelson Mineral Belt, is one of the most geologically interesting areas in New Zealand. Its diverse minerals also mean it has an interesting history - from early use by Māori as a source of argillite adzes, and in early European settler times as the centre for hopes of wealth from copper mining.

The Nelson Mineral Belt consists of heavy ultramafic rocks such as serpentine, which formed the ocean floor and were thrust into the crust of the Gondwana super-continent some 280 million years ago. New Zealand is a small fragment of Gondwana that began breaking apart about 100 million years ago.

Argillite, known to Māori as pakohe, is a tough but workable rock that starts out as mudstone, before it is heated and compressed within layers of serpentine, causing a chemical reaction. At the Rush Pool quarry you can also see the layers of green glassy serpentine. The superior quality of Nelson argillites made them highly prized - they were traded by local Māori, while Māori from elsewhere travelled to Nelson to acquire stone for tools.

The first argillite used by Nelson Māori was probably from rocks washed down the Maitai river. After these easier finds were used up, it was time to hunt for the source, well up the Maitai Valley. The Rush Pools, which leads off from the Maitai Dam, takes you up to this source: a stone age site, just a stone's throw from a modern city. The argillite was worked into stone tools; in skilled hands it was shaped by flaking. Large hammerstones - some of granodiorite obtained from the Boulder Bank - were carried up to the site and were repeatedly dropped against aparticular spot on the argillite outcrop until it fractured. The argillite was then further broken and flaked into smaller shapes.

The quarry is an unusual and valuable site, highly regarded by Māori. Please treat it with respect, and conform to the Māori practice of not eating food in a sacred place.

Maitai Valley vegetation. Nelson City Council
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Vegetation

The high mineral content of the soil gives the Dun Mountain its sparse and stunted cover of vegetation and characteristic reddish brown rock-strewn landscape; with early Māori possibly also having burnt off the vegetation on these slopes. The combined effect creates the open appearance noted by the first settlers, who called this ridge Bare Spur.

'Wilding pines' are a problem in the Maitai valley. These self-set trees are a menace and will destroy the fragile ecology of the mineral belt and modify the landscape and historic sites, if not kept in check.

"We have to assess the greatest threats to this area and decide on management targets that are achievable and able to be sustained over time," says Council Asset Development Adviser Paul McArthur. The wilding pines on the front face of Dun Mountain and around the Rush Pools were cut down in 2009, with the programme concentrating in following years on Mt Malita in the Roding catchment.

It takes specialised plant species to survive on the heavy metal concentrations of the Mineral Belt, but it is home to over 28 plant species that are threatened, rare or with a restricted range. These include ultramafic tussock, a small gentian, scree plants, a forget-me-not, a serpentine Olearia and a hebe that is restricted to this area. Some of the vegetation is nationally rare and contains a large number of threatened plants.

The Maitai Cave walk takes a southern turn into the limestone area of the mineral belt. The limestone has been tilted to vertical by earth movements, making channels for water that carve out cave formations. These have their own unique insect and plant life including a rare limestone kowhai.

Take a walk

There is a range of walks and mountain bike trails in the Maitai Reserve. It is possible to walk up the Dun Mountain and descend via third House to the Brook Valley. The Brook Waimarama Sanctuary will fence off a nature recovery area, but walking connections to the Maitai and beyond will remain:

Dam Crest (20 minutes return)
Dam Crest & Caretakers Lookout (1 hour return)
South Branch Intakes (30 minutes return)- turn left at the ford and follow the river's edge to the intake.
Maitai Caves (2.5 hours return) - a torch required for exploring the cave
Rushpool quarry (2.5 hours return) - along the track, vegetation changes from pine forest to interesting native plant cover on the Mineral Belt.
Dew lakes (5 hours return) - for excellent views down the Pelorus Valley towards Havelock, then another clearing 3 minutes later opens to Tasman Bay and the Western Ranges.
Maungatapu track to Maungatapu saddle (5.5 hours return)
Maungatapu track to Pelorus Valley Road end (4.4 hours one way)- via the 4 wheel drive track
Dun Saddle (3 hours one way)
Dun Saddle to Dun Summit (route only) 1 hour one way
Dun Saddle to Brook Valley - via the Dun Mt Walkway 3 hours one way

This article first appeared in LiveNelson in 2009

The naming of Nelson

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:21:09 +1200

The settlers arrived in what was to become Nelson, in 1842, a couple of years after one of the world's most famous landmarks, Nelson's Column, had gone up in London's Trafalgar Square. Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson had defeated the French at Trafalgar in 1805, and was celebrated thoughout the British Empire.

L.F. Abbott (1760-1802) Rear Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson [National Maritime Museum]
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In February 1841, the New Zealand Company announced that Arthur Wakefield would lead the expedition to the 'Second Colony'. Arthur was linked with Admiral Nelson via his own former skipper, Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy - the recipient of the famous remark Nelson made on his deathbed: 'Kiss me (or was it kismet?) Hardy'.

Immortalised in street names

The death of Hardy the year before, in 1840, may have prompted Wakefield to suggest Nelson as a suitable name for the new town in the 'Second Colony", and to call one of the first streets Hardy Street. Streets with references to the great admiral include Nile, for the famous battle of that name against the French; Vanguard after his flagship at the Nile, and Collingwood (both the street and the Golden Bay town) for Cuthbert Collingwood who was second in command at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Lord Nelson celebrated

Lord Nelson memorabilia is well represented in the city. A bust of Lord Nelson adorns the entry to the Council Chamber and an impressive painting of the Battle of Trafalgar hangs at The Bishop Suter Art Gallery.

Nelson - the coach connection

Interest ran high in the Battle of Trafalgar. A brochure from Newman's Coach Lines from the 1960s has information about Nelson City's connections with the famous Admiral, and tells how the Newman coaches came to carry names like Colossus, Thunderer and Minotaur. Newman's history in Nelson goes back to the very early days of stage coaches, replaced by 'mail-cars' from early in the 20th century. These vehicles were given unofficial names by their drivers, then for many years a numbering system was adopted. In 1965 the drivers suggested names instead of numbers. The firm agreed and it was decided to name the coaches after the ships that took part in the Battle of Trafalgar. The brochure continues:

"So it was arranged and each of the coaches in the Newman fleet now bears the name of a ship which was part of the illustrious fleet which Nelson led into the great battle. Thirty-three British ships took part. Of these we know the names of twenty eight; the remainder were three frigates and two brigs."

Gun power was, in those days, the gauge of size and power, and the list of ships ranges from the Victory at 100 guns, the Temeraire, Prince and Neptune with 98, to the Polyphemus, Agamemno and Ajax with 64 guns. The British lost 2500 men in the battle of Trafalgar, with the French loss calculated at 7000.

The brochure concludes: "It is to mark the valour of these British ships of old that Newman's coaches now bear such historic names and, as someone so aptly put it, 'Nelson's Fleet Cruises Again'."

Nelson's Prayer

Lord Nelson wrote a famous prayer just before The Battle of Trafalgar. He was asking that he would find victory in battle, not only for England but for all of Europe, and that all crew would act in an honourable way. This at a time when the spoils of war were part of the reward for the hardships of navy life. It could be said that Nelson was ahead of his time in seeing himself as a European. Nelson wrote:

"May the great God, whom I worship, grant to my Country and for the benefit of Europe in general, a great and glorious Victory: and may no misconduct, in any one, tarnish it and may humanity after victory be the predominant feature in the British Fleet.
For myself individually, I commit my life to Him who made me and may His blessing light upon my endeavours for serving my Country faithfully. To Him I resign myself and the just cause which is entrusted to me to defend. Amen amen amen."

The battle for Corsica and Nelson's lost eye.

In 1794, the British were at war with the French revolutionary government. They needed a base to fight and the obvious place was Corsica - already in revolt against the French. The keys to Corsica were the two fortress-cities of Bastia and Calvi on the east and west coasts.

The English dragged their guns ashore and heavily bombarded Calvi for several days in July 1794. On 12 July, Nelson was wounded. He had been watching the bombardment from a vantage point with a view of the battlefield and besieged city, when a shell burst on the rampart of sandbags, sending up a shower of stones and sand. Nelson's face was cut, the worst wound on his right brow.

Nelson wrote to his commander Lord Hood: "I got a little hurt this morning: not much, as you may judge by my writing."

Hood replied: "I am truly sorry to hear you have received a hurt, and hope you tell the truth in saying it is not much."

A few days later Nelson wrote to his brother William: "You will be surprised when I say I was wounded in the head by stones from the merlon of our battery. My right eye is cut entirely down, but the Surgeons flatter me that I shall not entirely lose my sight of that eye. At present I can distinguish light from dark, but no object . . . . Such is the chance of War, it was within a hair's breadth of taking off my head."

It took until 10 August 1794 for the French to surrender. Nelson had lost his eye, but Corsica was now a British possession. Incidentally the famous image of Lord Nelson wearing a patch is not accurate. He lost his sight but the eye was not disfigured and his letters show his relief that his appearance would not be marred.

Horatio was on continuous active service in the Mediterranean for most of the 1790s. He lingered for a year in Naples, which is where he fell in love with Lady Emma Hamilton. During his time in Naples, Nelson evacuated its Royal Family to Sicily and helped to crush an uprising.

Nelson to Nelson

This story makes another Nelson connection for us:

Vanguard Street is named after Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of the Nile. Hotel Nelson, which closed in the mid '80's, also had a small lounge bar called the Lady Hamilton Bar, wood panelled and decorated with paintings of one of the most famous heroines in romantic history.

School chums with the Admiral

One Nelson woman, Sarah Holman, can claim an alma mater link with Lord Nelson. She attended the same school as the hero of the Royal Navy, in North Walsham, Norfolk . Sarah was the secretary of the Nelson Heritage Advisory Group.

She recalls the role the Nelson tradition played in her school days. "The boys from Paston Grammar used to come to school in sailor suits on days when they were having cadet training, and we used to have a special church service on Trafalgar Day when we sang the Victory Hymn."

However, Sarah says because there is so much history in England, the link with the Admiral was quite understated and looking back she 'didn't really appreciate the greatness of it'.

This article was first published in Live Nelson, 2005

Mapua apple-growers chemical plant

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:06:48 +1200

This is a "Your Story" submitted as an opinion piece to the Prow website, for further documentation on the issue refer to Tasman District Council reports.

Decontamination of the Mapua Fruit-growers Chemical plant

During the decontamination of the Mapua Fruit-growers chemical site was the health of the environment chosen over the health of the community?

In 1931 the Mapua fruit-growers chemical plant was founded by Arthur McKee and his two sons, in the old apple cool store next to the Mapua wharf. It was a logical site to set up a chemical factory here as it was next to the Mapua port, a main distribution point for pip-fruit exports. They started off making spraying oils and lime sulphur and after they were given a government grant they developed a new factory in the late 1930's.

The abandoned fruit growers' chemical site, Mapua (2008)

During its time the factory made chemicals like DDT, DDD, and dealt with chemicals like 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D. 2,4-D was a component in the spray Agent Orange used in the Vietnam War and was the cause for birth defects in the children of soldiers exposed to it. By the late 1970's the plant was using 124 chemicals to make 84 different kinds of pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and fungicides. In 1988 it closed its doors after its bid to expand the plant was denied. Due to spills and some waste being buried on the site, persistent pesticides made at this factory have remained at high concentrations in parts of the site." ¹

There was also a concern that chemical waste had been buried in other places apart from the known landfill. Because these chemicals don't break down very quickly they remain in the soil for long periods of time, which is why investigations were launched into testing the site and then decontaminating it.

In June 2001 Environmental Decontamination Limited (EDL) was awarded the job of decontaminating the site. The remediation took place in September 2004. The process used was very experimental. It involved excavating the soil then separating it based on particle size. After drying in a rotary drier, it was mixed with Quartz sand and other reagents before being wetted and returned back to the site.

The 65-meter² MCD facility at Mapua encompasses units for soil/sediment multi-level screening, drying, and treatment within a mechano chemical reactor, along with an air emission control system.

By September 2008 the remediation of the old Fruit-growers chemical plant site was completed. The area had now been cleaned up. While the remediation occurred the people living nearby had to suffer from being exposed to the noise, dust and pollutants created by the clean up.

This remediation had many consequences for the local community. Living in Mapua during this time would have been very unpleasant, as there was excessive noise, dust, odour and the ground water was polluted.

Several times during the remediation the noise created by the plant exceeded the levels permitted in the resource consent. On windy days huge clouds of contaminated dust would blow off the site and land on nearby properties. Nearby residents also complained of an acrid odour that wafted from the site.

When it became clear that it was the chimney stack causing the smell, "checks showed that the carbon filter had melted in places".² This allowed potentially harmful gases to escape into the atmosphere and at the same time put the health of the Mapua community at risk.

The Parliamentary Commissioner's report indicated that the problems with the ground water "arose from the use of certain reagents during the remediation process, namely copper sulphate, diammonium phosphate and urea."³ As well as these toxic chemicals there was also seepage from the site where the contractors had dug wells to monitor the ground water. Exposure from these chemicals and toxins in the air has been known to cause birth defects and cancer, as well as many other diseases.

View through the fence looking at part of the remediation plant.

The residents' response to these unpleasant things was that they believed that the environment they were living in was causing them to become ill. Some residents living close to the site said "it's no coincidence the streaming eyes, runny noses, bleeding noses, sore throats, persistent coughs, high blood pressure and headaches they've experienced all started when the experimental clean up began"⁴.

Some decisions or actions made by either the council or the contractors at the site may have put the Mapua community at risk. One of these decisions was based around the carbon filter system used to catch the toxic emissions created by treating the soil. During the remediation process it has failed numerous times, allowing toxic gases to bypass the filtration system. The application for the resource consent stated that the "filter system proposed had two carbon filters but, they have been operating with only one the entire time,"⁵ meaning it has not been as effective as it was originally planned and probably led to the filter failing the number of times it did.

It was also completely removed at one point in an attempt to make the system less noisy and another time the main contractor tried to fix the filter with chicken wire after it "started losing its integrity"⁶. All this has compromised the health and well being of the community.

Another foolish judgement made at the site was when they demolished the old buildings. These buildings, known to have asbestos in their construction, were just pulled down showering local properties in thick dust, which would definitely have been bad for the health of those living in those houses. It is well known and documented that inhaling asbestos dust causes serious lung damage and respiratory diseases such as asbestosis.

Aerial shot of the Mapua chemical plant site.

Recently the government announced that it will be funding free health checks for the community of Mapua after a long speculation that the remediation had caused people to be exposed to harmful toxins via the air, the dust blown off the piles of contaminated dirt and the pollutants in the ground water. However it may be many years before the full extent of the effects of these toxins really comes to light.

There is no doubt that the evidence clearly shows that the health of the environment was chosen over the health of the local community. During the remediation period it is obvious that their health was compromised.

Joss Trew, Nayland College, 2010

Wreck of the Fifeshire 1842

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 13:51:34 +1200

The Fifeshire was one of the first New Zealand Company immigrant ships to arrive in the Nelson region; on its maiden voyage from London it carried 159 immigrants to New Zealand, 17 died on transit from fever on board the ship.¹ The Fifeshire carried many famous Nelson names such as the Poynter family.

The Fifeshire, wrecked on Fifeshire/Arrow Rock.
http://freepages.genealogy.
rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ourstuff/Fifeshire.htm
Click to enlarge

The Fifeshire was the first of the four New Zealand Company settler ships to arrive in Nelson; Lord Auckland, Mary Ann and The Lloyds, along with the Fifeshire, all left England on the same day.² The day the Fifeshire arrived, through the original entrance to the Nelson harbour, is the day celebrated as Nelson Anniversary Day, the 1 February 1842.³

It arrived in Nelson on the 1st February 1842⁴ and discharged its passengers and cargo before being cleared to leave for China on the 27th February 1842.⁵ Captain F.G Moore, the regular pilot, was unwell so an acting pilot oversaw the leaving of port. The wind was very light, so the Fifeshire did not reach the entrance till the tide had been ebbing for some time. The Fifeshire had almost passed through the narrow entrance when the wind failed and the tide carried her onto the Arrow Rock. ⁶

The Fifeshire lay right across the Rock, the Fore being dry, and the aft in dead low water. It was a disaster for the new colony.
It rested on two ledges at her fore and main chains ( the broad thick planks projecting horizontally from a ship's side at her mast.⁷

The Fifeshire could not withstand the strain on her back, and it was badly broken. On Tuesday May 10th 1842 J.W Saxton remarked in his diary "We could see under some rocks near the entrance [To the Haven] The Fifeshire, a vessel which had just been lost there" ⁸. J.W Saxton was a famous painter, and came on the ship Clifford to Nelson.

Men scavenged the Fifeshire for materials to establish the new colony. On 12th October 1842, J.W Saxton remarked in his diary "Authorized Mr Fox to buy from a blacksmith an iron bolt from the Fifeshire as an axle." ⁹, and on the 30th June 1845 he remarked "saw men at work on the Fifeshire which is said still to contain enough iron to build a brig." ¹⁰

The new colony had problems finding raw materials, such as iron with which to make the tools needed for construction, and wagons. Pieces of the Fifeshire were sold piecemeal to the settlers.¹¹ To finally lift the Fifeshire from Arrow rock Mr Poynter, an important member of the Colony, brought floats for 10 pounds apiece.¹²

On the 3rd of September 1846, the Fifeshire was lifted by the tide and the tanks from the Arrow Rock.¹³ It was then broken up on what is now called Haulashore Island and stripped for useful materials. For many years Arrow Rock wore the chains of the Fifeshire and the colonists looked on the rock and remembered the Fifeshire's fate. ¹⁴

Childs chair, made by Samuel Bryan Johnson. Broadgreen House Archives (Chair in Collection)
Click to enlarge

The Fifeshire provided a lot of resources for the new colony. Mr Poynter, afterwards a magistrate, was the purchaser and he is said to have done very well out of the venture¹⁵. The early colonists were great recyclers of the materials from the Fifeshire: some timbers being used for firewood¹⁶ others for the use of furniture. Broadgreen House have one such piece of furniture made from the Fifeshire timber. All the iron was stripped from the Fifeshire and used to make practical things for the colony.

The Fifeshire's mainmast was used to construct the font for the St Thomas's Church in Motueka.

The Fifeshire also provided a point of contention for the new colony. On Friday February 3rd 1846 J.W Saxton remarked in his diary "[Captain Wakefield] said he was not very prudent to put in the wreck of the Fifeshire but it could be taken out in England if they pleased." The above quote is what he wrote about a painting of the Nelson haven in 1846, with the Fifeshire of course, still being stuck on Arrow Rock at the time.¹⁷ Captain Wakefield did not want such a blemish on the settlement, so a decision was made not to paint the Fifeshire in.

In 1958, a painting by M.Cooke titled "Fifeshire Rock and Bay" caused much argument. Many declared the rock's name was "Arrow". ¹⁸ But today, the rock is commonly referred to as Fifeshire Rock. The reason for the two names can be traced back to the arrival of the first immigrant ships to Nelson. The storeship Arrow was the first of the immigrant ships to arrive in Nelson, and the Arrow gave its name to the rock ¹⁹. Today, it is commonly called "Fifeshire Rock".

Andrew Marriott, Nayland College, 2010

The History of Nelson Rugby

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:15:36 +1200

Charles John Monro, 1930 [founder of Rugby Union in New Zealand], The Nelson Provincial Museum, Cooper-Sharp Collection, 223693/9
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Of all Nelson's claims to history, none are as significant to the development of New Zealand's culture as our rugby background. Rugby is a crucial aspect to our heritage and our identity. It is important to lookback on how rugby captivated our region, and developed our nation.

Rugby was first introduced to Nelson by Charles John Monro in 1870. Charles had attended Nelson College in his early college years, and at the age of 16 he travelled to England, enrolling at Christ's college, Finchley. It was here that he fell in love with the game, taking up rugby and playing for the school's second XV. In 1869 he left Christ's College and returned to Nelson in 1870.¹

During his absence, a group of young sports-minded Nelsonians, led by Robert Tennent, (a 19 year old sports enthusiast) had founded the Nelson Football Club. Formed on the 30th of May 1868, its purpose was to offer young men the opportunity to participate in "all sports that promote healthful exercise" as recorded by the Nelson Examiner, 2nd June 1868.²

The first ‘football' played by the club was a mixture of soccer and Australian Rules (which was referred to as either Melbourne or Victorian Rules at the time). However there is very little information available on this sport. Sources suggest it may have been played with a round ball and the rules may have been agreed on by the players before the game. ³
Monro, on his return to Nelson, convinced the Nelson Football Club to trial the rugby code, and a game was scheduled between the Nelson Football Club and a side from Nelson College. The game was played at the Botanic Gardens (a field located in Nelson, at the base of the Centre of New Zealand) on the 14th of May, 1870. The match was to spark a rivalry between the two sides that would last for many years. The Football club won two - nil. This became widely known as the first game of rugby played in New Zealand. ⁴ None of the participants realised the sport they were playing was to become New Zealand's official sport and a source of national pride.
The new code was liked by the club, and adopted. Another game was scheduled to be played between sixteen old college members and sixteen who did not attend Nelson College, however after several wet Saturdays the match was abandoned. Two matches were then played between sides alphabetically chosen: A to K versus L to Z, and then A to H versus I to Z.⁵

Later that year, Charles Monro visited Wellington, and a suggestion was made that he should organise a game against the Wellingtonians. After a trial, Monro selected a Wellington team from a number of rules players, and coached them, however there was difficulty gathering a Wellington side, and only 13 were able to play. This included the driver of the horse-drawn coach which had transported them to the grounds. The Nelson team had also had difficulty gathering numbers due to leave, and the 14 man team was granted free passage on board a Government mail steamer the Luna. The game was played in Petone on Monday the 12th of September, and Nelson won by the "odd goal in three".⁶ This was the first interprovincial game played in New Zealand. A year later the Wellington Rugby Club was founded, and on the 29th of September 1871 a rematch was played, and Wellington won by a goal and two tries to nil.⁷

1873 Nelson Rugby Football Club The Nelson Provincial Museum, Print Collection, 290552
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Nelson rugby team from 1873

Albion, Prince Albert, Rival, and the Nelson Stars, were all Rugby clubs which played in Nelson, however no information is available on the time of their establishment, or any club history.
In 1888, the Richmond Rugby Club was formed and rugby was played on what is now the Richmond Show Grounds. The club wore a uniform of black and white, and entered the competition in that season against the Nelson teams of Nelson, Prince Albert, Albion, and College. They were transported to Nelson by horse and carriage. Rugby was beginning to expand into the regions of New Zealand. Unfortunately however, a number of players left the area soon after the end of the 1888 season, and the club was forced into recess. However, due to up and coming players at Richmond Primary School, a club known as the ‘Richmond all stars' was formed. They wore a blue jersey with white chest stars. There was a shortage of players and little support, and although every effort was made to maintain the club, it was eventually disbanded.

In 1894 a game was played between Richmond and Appleby in a local farmer's paddock. The goal posts were hop poles and the sidelines were mostly imaginary. Games between the two settlements continued, however it was difficult to find suitable places for the games to be played. The location varied for a long time, until a permanent field was established at the recreation ground (now Jubilee Park).

On the evening of a game in 1896, a meeting was called to discuss the future of rugby in the two districts, and a decision was made to form the Waimea club. The club wore blue jerseys with a white sash. During the 1897 to 1898 period, the Waimea club was promoted to the senior grade competition; however this did not last long. The club lost its ground and many experienced players and on the 29th of March 1898 the club was forced to disband.
Some time later, the Richmond Borough Council acquired the present recreation ground. The club was revived by younger players in 1904. It was then that the club adopted its red and white colors. The club still remains, now known as ‘Waimea Old Boys'. Jubilee Park is used as their home ground, and is integral for sport, leisure, and recreation. ⁸

Early 1900 Waimea rugby team

The first Motueka club to form was Huia, which was established around 1900. Before this there was a Motueka team which used to combine with a Riwaka side and travel to Nelson by steamship to play. The Huia club owed its early success to All Black Lewis Allen. After arriving in Motueka in 1902, Allen had a huge impact on the budding inexperienced side, and after taking charge, the Huia team entered the Nelson Tournament. Allen was described as "a good team man and an amazing individualist." It was his leadership that allowed the club to advance.⁹

The Stoke and Marist clubs were formed more recently.

The Nelson Rugby Union was formed on the 18th of June 1885, after a meeting at the Masonic Hotel. This was the sixth union to be formed in New Zealand. ¹⁰

The Golden Bay-Motueka Rugby Union was formed in 1920, and the McGlashen Cup was contested between the two sides¹¹. In 1968 the two unions merged, to form the Nelson Bays Rugby Union. This union played until 2005, when Marlborough joined, to become the Tasman Rugby Union in 2006¹². Today our regional team is a source of pride and local identity.

The Seddon Shield was named after Richard John Seddon, a New Zealand Prime Minister, and came into being in 1906. It was purchased by the Marlborough, West Coast, Nelson, and Buller Rugby Unions for competition. Marlborough were the first holders of the shield, beating Buller by 3 to nil. ¹³ Although the Nelson and Marlborough Unions have recently merged, the two still compete for the shield individually, the rivalry between the four regions is still strong and the Seddon Shield has become a significant aspect to our regional heritage.

Rugby has become a significant part of our culture, and has played a crucial role in our development. Today rugby is a source of national pride. It unites us, and motivates us. We have benefited greatly from the competition it has sparked, both locally and nationally. If it wasn't for those early years, then rugby may never have thrived. From these humble clubs, traditions were formed and rivalries born. Our region can truly be proud of the role it has played in developing our nation's identity.

Jim Lord, Nayland College 2010

Slavery in Colonial Times

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:00:30 +1200

As in many other cultures, slavery was a key element of Maori society. Mokai were usually spoils of war, condemned to lives of drudgery, danger, heavy physical work and obedience to their masters or mistresses' whims; they were expected to fight under supervision, could be used to negotiate with enemies, or as food if supplies were short. Female slaves might be prostitutes, or become secondary wives to their conquerors. Marriages between victorious chiefs and highborn women of defeated tribes strengthened the invaders' take to the land.

Samuel Ironside. Marlborough Historical Society Collections Marlborough Museum
Click image to enlarge

The Treaty of Waitangi, 1840, outlawed the taking of slaves, and made all Maori British citizens, but did not affect pre-Treaty arrangements. Christianity preached the equality of all before God and some slaves were freed as a result. In other cases masters and slaves were baptised together, but existing relationships prevailed. One of Rev. Ironside's best local preachers was Paramena, a slave who experienced some prejudice in his leadership role.¹

Kehu snaring a weka 1812-1893 William Fox: In the Aglionby or Matukituki Valley, looking into the Otapawa. 20th Feb. [1846]. Alexander Turnbull Library. B-113-008. [Kehu snaring a weka ]. Permission of ATL must be sought for further use of this image
Click image to enlarge

Some chiefs had many slaves, and mokai appear frequently in colonial records: accompanying masters, carrying goods or gifts, doing menial tasks, obeying orders. Chiefs hired slaves to European explorers and surveyors: Kehu and Pikiwati, Ngati Tumatakokiri slaves of Ngati Rarua chiefs, guided Brunner on his West Coast expedition (1846-1848). Tau, Ngai Tahu slave of a Te Atiawa chief, had accompanied Brunner, Heaphy and Kehu on their earlier 1846 journey. They all returned to their masters.²

Slaves were sometimes restored to their people: Paremata Te Wahapiro of Ngati Tama, captured by Ngai Tahu at Tuturau in 1837, delivered back to Wakapuaka with a new wife, daughter of his captor, Taiaroa;³ Ngati Toa's return of Ngai Tahu chiefs to Kaikoura or Banks Peninsula in about 1840;⁴ and a party of Ngai Tahu making their way from Motueka to Lyttelton in two large boats in 1851.⁵ A few slaves escaped to become fugitives.

Some chiefs formed strong bonds with mokai. Paremata wanted to support his mokai, arrested in 1843, until deterred by Europeans;⁶ Panakenake and Poria, Kehu's chiefs, gave him a life-time interest in land at Motueka,⁷ and Ngarewa, Te Atiawa chief at Port Gore, insisted Government agents allocate land for his Ngati Apa slaves.⁸ Bishop Selwyn was amazed when one of his staff tried to purchase the release of his mother and brother from a chief at Croisilles. The mother refused to leave - "she loved her master" and would "not go out free".⁹

While there are accounts of very brutal treatment of slaves in pre-colonial times,¹⁰ the lack of criticism after 1840 suggests that officials, clergy and settlers were not offended by what they saw. Rangatira continued to own slaves well into the 1850s and perhaps later. Europeans supported the system by acknowledging the existence of slavery, and hiring slaves from chiefs; Sarah Ironside, home alone after the Wairau Affray, in order to retain the services of her domestic help, gave a "pair each of our largest and best blankets" to their chiefs who were leaving for the North Island.¹¹

In general, slaves were keen converts to Christianity, no doubt attracted by its benefits to them, and as their masters' control decreased, often worked for Europeans who paid them for tasks they formerly did for nothing.¹²

The passage of time eventually led to the extinction of slavery.

2010